Baluchistan: Rebellion and Repression Continue to Roil
Overall in Iran, there has been an ebb in large mass demonstrations, but mass hatred of the Islamic Republic and its barbaric crimes continues to run very deep. Instead, social media from inside Iran has been highlighting tactics such as banner drops, graffiti, and the burning and defacing of regime banners and propaganda posters.
Even so, there were scattered protests in Iran leading into the regime’s February 11 anniversary celebrations (where they claim they were able to turn out tens of thousands of supporters). In early February, protesters in Abadan in southwest Iran destroyed a statue of a Basij militiaman, which had recently been installed. There were reportedly protests in Sanandaj on the anniversary and the day before a group of teachers’ organizations in Kurdistan protested the situation of Sunni clerics arrested for supporting popular protests. On the anniversary itself, state TV was hacked and in Tehran people chanted “Down with the Islamic Republic” from their houses and rooftops.
Overall in Iran, there has been an ebb in large mass demonstrations, but mass hatred of the Islamic Republic and its barbaric crimes continues to run very deep. Instead, social media from inside Iran has been highlighting tactics such as banner drops, graffiti, and the burning and defacing of regime banners and propaganda posters.
Even so, there were scattered protests in Iran leading into the regime’s February 11 anniversary celebrations (where they claim they were able to turn out tens of thousands of supporters). In early February, protesters in Abadan in southwest Iran destroyed a statue of a Basij militiaman, which had recently been installed. There were reportedly protests in Sanandaj on the anniversary and the day before a group of teachers’ organizations in Kurdistan protested the situation of Sunni clerics arrested for supporting popular protests. On the anniversary itself, state TV was hacked and in Tehran people chanted “Down with the Islamic Republic” from their houses and rooftops.
Around the world, a complex mix of tens of thousands of Iranians in the diaspora rallied and marched for an end to the Islamic Republic.6
The notable exceptions to the lull in street protests have been Sistan-Baluchistan province and, to a lesser extent, Kurdistan.
Friday, February 10, was the 19th consecutive week of marches by thousands of people, including women, every Friday in Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, following the horrific massacre on September 20 of about 100 people in and outside the prayer area of the main mosque, outside of which a protest was to be held. Baluchistan is the poorest region of Iran and Pakistan, and its people are extremely oppressed for their language, culture, and majority Sunni Muslim religion (the Islamic Republic is a fundamentalist theocracy based on Shi’a Islam).7
[Chant: ] “Political Prisoners Should Be Freed”. Feb 10 2023, Zahedan
Over the past several months the IRI has focused considerable firepower in Baluchistan, setting up military checkpoints; arresting and forcibly disappearing disproportionately large numbers, and sentencing numerous Baluchi youth to execution. Because many thousands of Baluchis have been denied identification documents, they are even more vulnerable than people elsewhere in Iran to simply disappearing into a security black hole after arrest, leaving their families and friends searching desperately for months or forever.
The Haalvsh news organization published a report (in Farsi) documenting the systematic rape of women protesters in Baluchistan detention centers.
Another heartbreaking news report was the attempted suicide of 16-year-old Benyamin Kokhan after severe torture and sexual violence at the Zahedan Correctional and “Education” Center where he and three other Baluchi teens were forced to confess to shooting at patrol cars. There have been several other reports of Baluchi prisoners committing suicide after their release, due to their trauma from severe torture, threats and rape.
16-year-old attempted suicide at Zahedan Correctional and Education Center due to the effects of severe beating and physical torture by ingesting toilet liquid and shampoo.
In the face of this systematic and horrific oppression and threats, it is all the more amazing that thousands of Baluchis continue to protest week after week in Zahedan and other cities in Baluchistan, typically raising slogans that range from “Woman. Life. Freedom” to “Death to Khamenei! Death to the Basiji [paramilitaries]!”, “Death to oppressors, whether Shah or Mullah!” and “Free Political Prisoners.”
Footnotes
6 Protests took place in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Oslo, Bologna, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Nicosia, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Vienna, Sofia, Madrid, Istanbul, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaid, Perth, Brisbane, Auckland, Stockholm, and Gutenberg. Iranians Rally Across The World Calling For End To Islamic Republic, Iran International, February 11, 2023.
7 Although beyond the scope of this article, opposition to the IRI among Baluchis is complex and has contradictory elements. The weekly marches take place after Friday prayers and are encouraged by the main Sunni cleric. He’s a member of the IRI and considered a reformer who during prayers has called for a referendum and an end to executions and beatings. There are also secular democratic organizations, and in the large Baluchistan region of Pakistan, Baluchi armed separatist groups operate, including Sunni fundamentalist forces.